Crocodile Tears
by Dragoandnikki
Summary: A young hero, finds a dead Killer Croc and shocks him back to life. She delves into his therapy tapes and discovers something shocking that makes her reevaluate everything. Rated for later chapters, gore, etc...
1. Chapter 1

Crocodile Tears

Being a part of the bat-family without actually being a Bat was kind of hard. The first time they'd put a question mark next to: Another Bat Girl. I had sent a rant to their editor that I was not a Bat and anyone with eyes could see I was not dressed like one. I don't wear a mask, so I have no bat ears... sigh. I'm sitting on a rooftop, in my civilian outfit. Blonde hair in a ponytail, instead of flowing around my shoulders and down my back. I blow my bangs out of my face... more of a fringe than anything. Black sports bra and a pair of puffy black pants, instead of a black body suit with silver cuffs and belt. All-black sneakers instead of a pair of flat black boots. I don't go out, so I don't really need a mask. And since they assume I'm wearing a wig or contacts or both... I don't really worry about anyone finding out who I am. I live with the Bats of course, and if I make an appearance it's usually wearing a black wig and green contacts, because Bat just can't stand the thought of being outed and I don't want to out them particularly much.

SMASH! CRASH! WROOAAAAHHHR!

Shit. I stand instantly on the ledge and reach for my belt pouches, to hit my Bat Signal. My eyes dart downward when I hear another growl. Croc. What was he doing down on this end of the city? I frown and forget about the Signal for a moment. Everything is quiet, so I jump down and use my static to slow my descent. I land hard, and roll to absorb the impact. I have a way of following certain electrical frequencies if I'm aware of them. But I can't feel Croc. I frown harder and sprint for the street that I thought the scream of a roar came from. I stop when I see the glow in the alley.

Creeping around the corner and masking my electrical impulses I glance. Croc on the ground, not moving... and Electrocutioner? I frown and watch as he walks away from the lifeless villain. I creep up to the unmoving body and place my hand on his chest. Even though he has thick skin, I can always hear and feel his heartbeat... but not now. It's silent. My mind goes blank for a moment and then I remember I have powers that basically resemble a defibrillator and start charging my hands. I hear a hiss from behind me and duck as I shove my hands down and shock Croc back to life.

I flip backwards and turn to see the Electrocutioner glaring at me. "Meddlesome Brat." My eyebrow twitches. Brat? Why the hell did everyone think I was a kid!?  
"Now you done it." I heard a gravelly voice behind me and turned to look. Croc was sitting against a wall, trying to breathe deeply and slowly. Not really succeeding. He gave up and stared panting.  
"Do not speak to ME, creature!" Now. I'm not usually one to defend a guy who I consistently kick in the ass on a weekly basis... but calling him a creature kind of got under my skin... so you can sort of see why I sucked the electricity from his suit and shocked him hard enough to burn and steal part of his memory.

Sarcastic applause started behind me and I turned to see him sitting there, struggling to move. "Showed him," He coughed, "Nobody calls you a brat, hah?" He tried to stand up and fell on his knees, then his face. I winced in sympathy.  
"You won't be able to move for a while, Croc."  
"Can't exactly stay here, can I?" He pants harder and pushes himself up onto his hands and knees, blinking his eyes hard and trying to stop the world from spinning. I could tell because his eyes floated in a bunch of different directions.  
"Croc-"  
"Ain't goin' to Arkham tonight, bitch." I sigh.  
"You aren't comitting a crime right now, so I have no motivation to take you to Arkham. But you may want to go anyway... the infirmary and all." He looked up, his head jerking all of a sudden. He seemed to search my face for something. I pulled my brows together in puzzlement and he coughed an incredulous laugh.  
"You don't know. And if you don't know... the Bat doesn't know. Hot damn." He coughed again and I walked toward him.  
"What-"  
"If our injuries aren't life-threatenin' they don't patch us up, or give us pain killers." I stop, and I stare at him.  
"B... I..." He looks up, panting still and struggling to keep his gaze on me.  
"Nobody else thinks we should be alive, me and the Joker and the other..." Cough! "Rogues." I felt a wave of rage roll over me. Killing him... is different than torturing him. Torture is even more wrong than murder... I glare at the wall as the electricity flows through me and then bolts upward in a flash of pure white. I'm on my knees when he opens his eyes again, my hands in fists, punching the ground.  
"God I'm so naive!" I breathe through my nose and try to calm myself.  
"Huh. I'll have to tell the others about this..." I look up and he's grinning in a sick way. "The vigilante with compassion for the bad guys... I mean I know yer a bleedin' heart... but damn. You're crying over US?" I blink in surprise and touch my face. I'm crying.  
"Shut up..." I mutter.  
"Can't hear ya if ya don't speak up, bitch." I sigh and stand up, walking over to him. He shudders as I grasp his arm and pull him to his feet.  
"I'll get you somewhere secluded, and then I'll... frickin'... fix you." He snorts.  
"How are you gonna do that? Got secret healin' powers? I highly doubt it."  
"Your current... ailment, is caused by electricity. I can make your muscles stop twitching and can fix any nerve damage... it's not much... but you'll be able to walk home." He snorts again.  
"Home." I blink and look up at him. He's trying too hard to focus on standing... so he doesn't notice my eyes becoming half-lidded and determined.

I pull him after me until we get far enough away from the alley that I can safely say the Electrocutioner won't stumble upon us. I tuck him against a wall and start sucking out excess electricity, putting some in places where there wasn't enough... Then I heard him choke on a chuckle and a thump. I look over my shoulder. "What happened?" Batman.  
"Electrocutioner. Sorry I forgot to call you. I was kind of occupied."  
"Any permanent damage?" If there were, he'd probably be happy. That was a mean thing to think... but it would keep him from doing crime, or at least keep him from doing it WELL...  
"Not if I can help it." I move my hand down his arm and the electricity follows. He's shuddering and his breathing is getting faster. Damn, I always do this when they're unconscious, and I haven't done it that often. "Does it hurt too much?" I pull my hand away and his lashes out to grab my wrist. I blink at him as he sits there, and look over my shoulder to see Bat at the ready with a 'rang. "I won't stop... if it's making you better." He lets go and I move my hand to his, because his grip wasn't as strong as it should have been. I could just lie on him and do this with my whole body... but I don't really think it would be a good idea. I bite my lip and stare at his hand, long after I've fixed it.  
"Quit it." I jump and look up, he's watching me. Were his eyes always that gold color? Like warm beer? "It don't hurt, it just tickles, so just fix it." I look down and move to his other side, moving from shoulder to hand.

He started clenching his hand around mine while I was fixing it. I stroked his knuckles absent-mindedly, like I usually did if Robin needed reassurance. His hand stopped moving, but now it was loosely clenched around my own. I could move my hand fine... it just seemed to cling to me. And then I realize... he died. He knows he died. I look up and search his face. He's got his eyes closed again and when he opens them I warn him. "I have to do your torso now, you need to tell me if I hit anything vital too hard. I'm... kind of new to doing this to someone with thick skin..." He grunts and heaves himself into a better position. His breathing is still fast, but he isn't shuddering anymore. Trembling finely, but not shuddering as if he's going to break into pieces.  
"Just do my legs... my body is fine... little numb, but it don't hurt." I sigh and put my hands on his hips. He jumps a little and I ignore it, moving my hands down over his jean-clad legs until I reached his feet. I didn't see what prompted him, but I'm pretty sure the Bat gave him a look, so when he grabbed my hair, I was surprised... but not shocked. Course when he nipped my throat and I went a little limp from terror... he threw me aside and made a dash for it. I think I scared the Bat because I wasn't moving, and when he ran to my side and saw I was unharmed, he turned to chase Croc. I grasped his cape.

He looked down at me, worried. No one else would be able to tell, Alfred, Robin... they would, but nobody else. His brows were pinched and his eyes narrowed, his lips pressed together in a frown. "Can... you take... me home?" I realize I'm having a panic attack. I usually only have them after a fight is over, not when he's about to pursue someone, but I realize suddenly that I don't want Croc to get caught. He could have torn my throat out and it would have had the same effect, the Bat would have paused. But he didn't kill me. Because I had saved his life? Or because he just didn't want to see what that would do to the Bat's morals? I didn't know, but when Bat picked me up and my eyes closed, I was happy enough to smile while I cried.

Poor Croc...

I woke up to the sound of someone saying my name. "Mistress Dart?" I roll my eyes under my eyelids and then blink them open.  
"Alfred, I don't like Mistress, it sounds like I'm a dominatrix or something." The chuckle and giggles tell me that Bruce and Dick are both in the room. "Shut up Dick." There's a snort and someone is leaping onto my bed.  
"Can I tell her now!?" I roll over and snuggle Dick's legs. I always lay on him when he climbs into my bed, I even made it a rule that if he gets in my bed he should expect it. He just pets my hair as Bruce sighs.  
"Don't freak her out, Dick." I yawn and don't really register what he says next.  
"Nik." He takes a deep breath, "I think Killer Croc has a crush on you."  
"Yeah, whatever." I bury my face in his thighs and then I bolting upward and crashing my head into his face. We both shriek in pain and grab our offended areas. I sit up and wobble a bit. Crap, I used too much energy for too long. "How long have I been out!?"

Bruce taps my cheek and I look up with glazed eyes. He shines a light in them and I cringe with a whimper. "You damaged yourself when you fixed Croc. I would have said something, but you had that look on your face." The look. God I hate hearing about the look and how apparently I'm immovable when I wear it.  
"How many days-"  
"Two and a half. It's daytime now." I sigh. Not as bad as I thought. Then I tense again.  
"Dick..." My voice is dangerous and he swallows hard as I glare at him. "You better hope this is not a joke. What. Happened." He bites his lip and then launches into the story of last night's fight with Killer Croc.

"Okay so I was patrolling and I saw him pacing outside of a jewelry store." He holds back laughter for some reason. "When I hit the button on my belt, you know the one that means, I found action but I'm not in danger yet?" I nod and he goes on. "So I jumped down to distract him and he whirled around. He looked confused, then disappointed!" He bit his lip. "He looked around like he was expecting something else, and I figure he's looking for Batman, but I tell him, 'The old man's on his way.' He jumps like he forgot I was there and asks me, *Where's the Shocky Bitch?*" My eyes widen a little and I dismiss it, he was just wondering why I wasn't there, probably though I was waiting to kick him in the ass again. Yes, I literally kick him in the ass. Dick is grinning his Robin grin. "And I figured exactly what you're thinking. He thought you were hiding and ready to jump out and kick him in the ass... but I said, 'She took a sick day' and oh my god, you're not gonna believe this part!" I raise an eyebrow. "You know how we're not supposed to let on that we can hear them talking to themselves or whispering to each other, but we can cause of the listening devices in our ears?" I nod and start to feel a building anticipation. "I couldn't show my shock but I almost fell over. Cause he muttered to himself... he muttered..." He bit his lip and I nearly shook him.  
"What!? He muttered what!?"  
"*What the hell did I do this for then?*" I DID fall over then. "He didn't even take anything. He just broke the window and waited for us- for you- to show up! He paced outside so it'd look like he sent somebody in, but he didn't steal anything! He just wanted to see you!" He was moving from side to side in gleeful laughter.

I was reeling. He might have just wanted to talk to me, but it definitely sounded like what Dick said it sounded like. "And he didn't even fight us, he just huffed and held out his hands. *Just fuckin' cuff me then, I don't feel like doin' this dance tonight.*" I rolled onto my face and moaned into the comforter. It really sounded like it. "We ended up dropping him off at Arkham, and he actually looked sad when he saw the Shock Collar, like it made him think of you-" I whipped onto my feet on the bed and my whole body sparked.  
"SHOCK COLLAR!?" I'd noticed scars around his neck that night... god why didn't I think to ask about that before? How else could they subdue him?

Dick scurried backwards off my bed, actually afraid. He fell on the ground and I sucked the electricity into my body. "Shock collar." I bit my lip hard. And they don't bandage the burns either. So I bite it out through my teeth, "Do you know that they don't fix their wounds in Arkham? Do you know they just let them writhe in pain without medication of any kind?" If Bat or Robin knew, I was going to bitch-slap both of them in the face.  
"Where did you get this information?" I look over at Bruce and he looks skeptical. He doesn't believe me.  
"Croc was electricity drunk after I zapped him back to life-"  
"Back to life?" Dick was gaping at me. "He DIED? Well that explains why he likes you all of a sudden."  
"He told you this?" I nod at Bruce and his eyes get very dangerous. He pulls out the Batphone and hits speedial 1. Commissioner Gordon. As he leaves the room, I am reassured that he'll get on their asses for that... but he didn't care about the collar.

Dick left the room as I collapsed on the bed and curled into a ball. Alfred brought some tea to me and I drank it with shaking hands. "The collar bothers you." I sigh,  
"He's not an animal you know. He's not." He hums.  
"I am aware... but how else-"  
"Shock bracelets, shock implant in the back of the neck, anything but a COLLAR."  
"I have noticed lately, you have become more... compassionate toward Killer Croc... after you listened to the tapes." I clenched my hands. The tapes where he told the shrink about his childhood. The ones where he was drugged with some kind of truth serum or something because they 'wanted to help him.'  
"Will you bring them to me?" He sighs,  
"I do so hate to see you afterwards, you know."  
"I just-" I curl into my body. "It won't be as bad as the first time." He huffs,  
"Very well, after all you ARE a grown woman." I almost smiled at that.

When he came back with one tape, I told him I wanted the ones Bruce had too, the ones from the beginning. He had looked worried but went back to get them. He watched as I arranged them in lines on the bed. Arranged by date. Alfred cleared his throat and I looked up. "Master Bruce received another one... a few hours ago. Croc was apparently talkative and... hm." He looked embarrassed and I suddenly wondered if I wanted to hear... but I reached out a hand and he gave it to me. I resisted the urge to put that one in and set it down on my lap, reaching for the first tape.

Doctor: I see in the Dossier... you like to be called Killer Croc? Where did you get this name?  
Croc: *Snort*  
Doctor: I know you CAN speak. If you simply do not think it important-  
Croc: I was a freak-show. Wrestled Crocs. Don't like to reminisce.  
Doctor: Would you like me to revisit this, at a later date?  
There's a pause and I wonder if this is the first time someone has really been kind to him like this.  
Croc: I'd appreciate it.  
Doctor: What do YOU want to talk about?  
Croc: ... I don't know what I would talk about, even if I wanted to talk.  
Doctor: I see... Will you tell me your name, if nothing else. I wish to call you something other than Croc... it is so... demeaning.  
And suddenly I realize that it is. I never listened to this tape before. I'd heard him refer to him as Mr. Jones in the tape I HAD listened to... but his first name, would he tell him his first name? Why am I so eager to know?  
Croc: ... *Sigh.* My name's Waylon. Jones.  
Waylon... Waylon...  
Doctor: I see. So. Mr. Jones, What is it you like to do in your spare time, any hobbies?  
Croc: Sleep.  
Doctor: ... you sleep, and commit crimes, and that is all your life consists of?  
Croc: What am I gonna do, go to a club and dance with the pretty girls?  
Doctor: I see.  
Croc: Do ya? I don't think you do. Cause you think, I could go out if I was disguised, or... there are places where they accept all kinds... but there ain't no place like that for REAL freaks, Doc. Not good places, at least.  
Doctor: ... I am sorry if I am wrong... you sound like you are talking about a circus, is that where you were in the freak show? I apologize I said I would not-  
Croc: Yeah. You're curious, right. Because circuses are supposed to be happy, magical places. A place where freaks can belong. Be family to each other.  
Doctor: I am aware that the... so-called 'freaks' are mistreated-  
Croc: Really? Do you go to the circus anyway?  
The tape stops there, and I'm pretty sure he would have said yes.

A few tapes later, I hear a change in Croc's voice, and hear my name for the first time... well... his name for me at least.

Doctor: You seem... well... you seem to be feeling better lately.  
Croc: I'm eatin' and sleepin' the right amounts, ya mean.  
Doctor: Is there a reason?  
Croc: Somebody lectured me, about my health... and I hate that they're right.  
He sounds genuinely surprised.  
Doctor: Who?  
Croc: Some... god damn... Shocky, Bitch!  
Doctor: ...Shocky?  
He seems perplexed with this description.  
Croc: New hero on the scene. Blonde... blue eyes.  
Doctor: The girl who sent the letter to the paper. Telling them her name and that she was NOT a Bat.  
There was a chuckle in his voice.  
Croc: Yeah. That bitch. You know what she said to me? 'Being a criminal with no family is no excuse to let your health go. You're so skinny!' She says, 'You're giant and I can see your RIBS, man.' She called me man, like a teenage boy.  
Doctor: *laughter* Is she boyish?  
Croc: Fuck no, she-...  
Doctor: ... it is alright, to say it.  
Croc: I don't want to.  
Doctor: I will not be disgusted if you say she is pretty.  
Croc: ... pretty... Pff.  
Doctor: What?  
Croc: You actually think I'd say something that TAME?  
Doctor: ... suddenly I am glad you said nothing.  
Croc laughs and I'm blushing my ass off, trying so hard just to keep my face from exploding, I almost miss the last part.  
Croc: She lectured me. And then she kicked me in the ass. Literally.  
The tape ended and I was laughing and blushing and god I love Gotham.

-  
I was getting closer to the one I didn't want to listen to but had to. This one surprised me, because it's the second time he mentioned me, and one of the few times he's talkative. All the tapes in between the ones about me are him growling and asking for food, or ranting for a few seconds about the Batman.

Doctor: How are you today, Mr. Jones?  
Croc: Hm. Amused, mostly.  
Doctor: Something has amused you?  
Croc: Yeah. Something... someone.  
Doctor: What did they say? To amuse you?  
Croc: Shocky bitch, I called her a brat today, before they subdued me.  
Doctor: ... and?  
Croc: *Smothers Laughter* She got so angry, and I asked her, 'What, you rather I call you Bitch?'  
Doctor: She said yes, didn't she?  
Croc: *Raucous Laughter* She thought about it for a minute! And she said, 'Yeah actually I think I would.' Completely straight-faced. She fuckin' mind-fucked me.  
Doctor: Do you think you will get more amusement out of calling her a brat again?  
Croc: Fuck, you kiddin' me? You call her a brat and she turns into a blonde demon. Her eyes go... flat, like she's thinkin' about the best way to skin ya.  
Doctor: She frightened you?  
Croc: Nah. But it was unnerving to see her angry. She's always so... fuckin' happy.  
Doctor: ... You like to see her happy?  
Croc doesn't seem to realize he's said something breakthrough-worthy and he goes on.  
Croc: Well, damn, I mean when she smiles her whole face lights up like it's christmas, and she talks back... she never talks about the way I look. She quips sarcastically about my slowness or my inability to catch her, she never... puts me DOWN. You know?  
Doctor: I see. And everyone else does? Even Batman?  
Croc: The Bat makes jokes about my smelling bad, when I say I smelled him. He makes jokes about my mug, the bird brain just sorta tells me that I'm a monster.  
Doctor: She taunts you with what you DO... rather than things you cannot control.  
There's a pause.  
Croc: I don't want to talk anymore.  
The tape ends, and I keep thinking, was his voice... breaking?

-  
This tape was going to break me every time I heard it, wasn't it?

Doctor: We have given you truth serum, to help you. Because we NEED to know... about your past, to help you.  
I thought he was putting on an act of caring before. Now I know this is a GOOD doctor, and he actually does care.  
Croc: Hmm... hm.  
It sounds somewhat affirmative.  
Doctor: Let us start at the beginning. Your parents?  
Croc: Mh. Killed my mother, when I was born.  
Doctor: She died giving birth-  
Croc: I had claws, and I hung on, on the way out.  
Doctor: Your father?  
Croc: Dunno, I was told he abandoned me soon as he saw me. My skin and everythin'.  
His voice is dreamy, but I can hear the depth in it. The... self-hate.  
Doctor: Who did you live with, growing up?  
Croc: My aunt.  
Doctor: Did she... treat you well?  
There was a sickening sound that I realized was Croc laughing and choking on tears at the same time.  
Croc: She was a mean drunk... and a slut... kept me locked up in a closet... beat on me, kept me on a metal chain collar.  
I hate this. I hate it so much that I can feel my teeth grit and I try to relax.  
Doctor: My god...  
Croc: I snapped, and I killed her.  
Doctor: I do not blame you.  
His voice is cold, and I realize now that it was not condemnation and disgust or a false attempt to make a connection. It was rage.  
Croc: I joined the circus for a few years. They treated me bad there too, I liked the freaks... not the managers... I hated them. They got killed you know, the freaks. I didn't do it. They were murdered... I killed the managers.  
Doctor: Have you ever been IN love, Waylon?  
Croc: Once I think.  
Doctor: You are not sure.  
Croc: Hm. She was... too perfect for me.  
Doctor: In what way?  
Croc: Too... innocent.  
My heart drops into my stomach as I remember what he said about me. The tape ends there and I scramble for the next. I keep hitting stop when I don't hear anything about the girl again and skipping to another one, because these are all short and I know he didn't say anything important because they aren't marked with a red x. Then I come to one with a blue x. I'm confused but I snap it in and I listen.

Doctor: You're agitated.  
Croc: Is Bane in Blackgate now?  
Doctor: Yes. What is the matter?  
Croc: I... I helped.  
Doctor: You... helped.  
Croc: *Loud Swallow* The Bats and the... shocky bitch.  
What?  
Doctor: How did you help?  
Croc: I... I... snapped the... I tore off the tubes.  
Doctor: His venom tubes!? Waylon that was dangerous!  
Croc: He hit her.  
My heart stops for a moment.  
Doctor: Who?  
Croc: ... just some girl, she's not important, he just... I just... I looked at her... and I... hated him.  
Doctor: She is not important.  
Croc: No.  
He's growling it.  
Doctor: Just a random girl?  
Croc: Yes.  
Was his curt answer.  
Doctor: Have you seen her before?  
Croc: ... Yes.  
Another curt answer.  
Doctor: You didn't like that he hit her, because she was in pain, or because you would rather have been the one to do it?  
Croc: YOU DON'T KNOW ME!  
The tape stopped. I popped it out and I realized the blue x's mean... they aren't talkative breakthroughs, they're... they're emotional breakthroughs. He felt something.

All the other tapes were just him being obstinate. Until the last one.

Doctor: Mr. Jones... I was told you WANTED to talk to me?  
Croc: *Snort* Go on doc, sound more surprised, I will be shocked if you CAN.  
Doctor: I apologize. But this is... odd behavior for you.  
Croc: Yeah well, I got a... an issue.  
Doctor: Only one?  
His tone is amused and Croc laughs, to my surprise, sounding equally as amused.  
Croc: Well, you see... There's this hero.  
My heart almost stops.  
Doctor: Batman?  
Croc: No. God no. The blonde one, Shocky Bitch.  
Doctor: Whitefire.  
Croc: Yeah her. She's fuckin' with my head.  
The doctor sounds grave.  
Doctor: Is she? I had always heard she was a very compassionate individual. She doesn't even use her powers to put down villains unless she feels they need to be stopped at that moment... because otherwise...  
Croc: That's the whole damn problem, Doc.  
Doctor: What is? Her compassion?  
Croc: Would you say the Batman has compassion, Doc?  
Doctor: Yes...  
He sounds like he knows this is leading somewhere and maybe suspects where...  
Croc: The Batman ever occur to you as innocent?  
Doctor: No. I suppose not.  
Croc: The Shocky Bitch?  
Doctor: ... Innocence personified, yes.  
Croc: Someone so good... sees something... worthy of life in me. Not because she's just that good... I can't explain this part.  
He sounds very frustrated to admit that.  
Doctor: You wonder if you are wrong, and there IS something good there. Because you see her as-  
Croc: Do you know she told Joker he wasn't crazy?  
The doctor seems shocked.  
Doctor: What!?  
Croc: She said he wasn't crazy. She said he was logical, efficient, and he always KNEW the outcome of his fights with anyone. Even Batman. He knew he'd lose and he did it anyway. Because he wanted to take revenge on the world... and he wanted to be punished for it.  
There's a pause in the conversation.  
Doctor: I cannot believe no one has ever thought-  
Croc: That's the thing. She sees people for who they are. She isn't burdened by prejudice or love or hate. She's... innocent. Everyone is worthy, everyone is... perfect the way they are to her. She stops crimes because she can't stand to see people helpless... hurt... dead. She always kicks me in the ass, you know.  
I snort at the topic change and the surprised laughter of the Doctor is highly amused.  
Doctor: Do you mean that literally?  
Croc: She thinks it's hilarious to ambush me and kick me right in the ass and then jump around while I try to hit her. It's like we're teenage guy friends, communicating in hits... I've never hit her too hard, you know?  
Doctor: Because she is a woman?  
Croc: No. I was gonna treat her the same but... the first time I met her?  
I remembered as he spoke.  
Doctor: She reacted in some... other way than usual?  
Croc: *Chuckling* She was fighting Bane with the Bat and got hurled into a building. She looked up as I peeked out of the sewer. She glanced at the Batman and I thought she was gonna call him over. But she looked back at me, and she made a shushing motion, and motioned me back down. 'It's not a good idea to come up right now, whoever you are, it can't be good to get between Bane and the Bat.' Then she winced and said, 'In fact I think he broke a few things inside me that I wasn't sure existed. Come back later.'  
There was a pause.  
Croc: I wasn't wearin' a disguise. I was my usual self. I came up and the first thought she had, was that I'd get hurt and she didn't want me to. She didn't know if I was a hero or a villain, but she protected me in her own way. She gave ME the choice. Because that's her way. But if I'd gotten in the middle, even if I'd just eaten her dog, she'd have jumped in front of me and lashed him with her electrical whip. She didn't think to protect him, because he would be fine, she knew HIS capabilities. As far as she knew, I was harmless, a mutant living in the sewers with no power. And she didn't pity me.  
There was a pause, then he spoke with a smile in his voice.  
Croc: She just SAW me.

I stop the tape and stare at the ceiling as tears roll down my face. Because it sounded like no one had ever SEEN him... and took him for a normal person ever before in his life... and he wanted them to. So badly.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Bruce looked at me as I walked into his study. He went into his analytical mode, you could just see it in his eyes. "My Croc tapes are missing, Alfred says you have them."  
"You make things all the time, things that can do things other things can't. or can more efficiently." He looks at me intensely.  
"Yes."  
"Would you make a pair of bracelets, and sell them to Arkham, that are shock... shock collar replacements?" He stared into my eyes.  
"Croc?"  
"Even if you have to put tranquilizers with needles in the bracelets, anything, just take... tell them to take off... the collar. Please." My lips tremble and I end in a whimper.

He stands up and walks over to hold me. He doesn't seem like he'd be good with emotion, but he's always a loving friend when I get upset. Dick is right, he IS just like a dad. "You are too good for this kind of life." I hear the blame in his voice.  
"I know that you always know what's right and wrong, Bruce. So tell me, is it wrong to feel bad for him? Is it wrong to care about him?"  
"No. Not wrong, just... self-destructive."  
"I want to help him, I want to, so bad."  
"I know, you always have." I blink and make an inquisitive noise. "Well the first time you told me about the guy you saw, in that fight with Bane... you were so upset because you thought he'd grown up in the sewers or something... and you just hated society for a few seconds. Then you said you understood their side, but you wished people were less stupid." He was chuckling. I smiled a little.  
"Bruce, would you do it?"  
"I'll have them made. Honestly it never occured to me. I heard the tapes too, how did I not think of it?"  
"You didn't want to... because you thought it was necessary." He laughs.  
"You just know everything, don't you?" I smile again and wrap my arms around him.  
"It should take three or four days to have them mass-produced."  
"Can I go to make sure they do it? And check up on him every once in a while?"  
"... check to see if they keep the bracelets, yes. I don't want you alone with him. Regardless of how good your intentions are..."  
"I know. I'll have guards with me... and I CAN shock him you know. I haven't yet, but I can."  
"I don't know if you know this, but you won't. You will let him kill you before you even think of it." I realize in that moment, he's right. I would. Why?  
"Why?"  
"Because he makes your heart ache."

I didn't go on patrol, for a few nights. I was still recovering from my power usage, or at least that's what I told myself. I couldn't lie, though. So if anyone else had asked me, I'd just have told them. 'I'm worried about Waylon.' They would look confused.  
'Who's Waylon?' They'd ask. If it were Bruce he'd know, but he wouldn't ask in the first place. I'd tell them,  
'Waylon is Killer Croc's real name, and I'm worried he's being treated badly.'  
'Worried, about him? He's got thick skin and he's huge, I think he can take being locked in a cell.' But that's just where they'd be wrong, I'd think.  
'Even if they shock him, just for the fun of it, and didn't treat the electrical burns for more of a kick?'

I don't think they'd say anything after that.

I slept for a whole day before I was supposed to go to Arkham. I woke to the sound of Alfred knocking on my door. I stood and walked over, shaking the sleepiness off and looking bright and alert when I opened the door. He looked surprised. He must have seen me sleeping before. Maybe he even tried to wake me up. "The... bracelets, Miss Dart." I look down at the metal things in his grasp and see that they are specially fitted. Giant. There are probably a lot of them made, just for Croc... and more that are normal sized for other people.  
"Thank you."  
"I don't think I should tell you, but Master Bruce wondered if you... Two more tapes have been made, Miss Dart." I blink. It's only been four days.  
"Apparently... the doctor was jubilant about some breakthrough Killer Croc had made-"  
"Call him- Mr. Jones. Please. Just... with me?" He looked heartbroken for me.  
"Yes, miss Dart. Of course. I meant no disrespect."  
"I know. It's just... the only name you knew..."  
"Would you like... the tapes?" I think maybe I should wait until after I see him. But I nod anyway and he hands them to me, apparently knowing what my answer would be.  
"You are the perfect butler Alfred." He hemmed and Hawwed in embarrassment for a moment and I hugged him. "And the perfect uncle too." He hugged me back, more of a pat on my back than anything but he was embarrassed so I didn't take it to heart.

Doctor: Waylon, I was wondering, if possibly I could ask you something about Whitefire.  
Waylon: Go ahead.  
He was at ease.  
Doctor: Before when you said you wouldn't say tame things about her. What WOULD you say.  
Waylon: God, Doc.  
Doctor: I apologize, but I would very much like to know.  
Waylon: *Sigh* Yeah alright.  
I was suddenly pacing with the ear buds in my ears and the player clasped tightly in my hands. Not too tightly and I made sure to keep a rein on my power.  
Waylon: Where do ya want me to start?  
Doctor: *Inquisitive noise*  
Waylon: Top, middle, bottom. Hair, body, legs?  
He was teasing him. I laughed, forgetting for a moment what he was talking about.  
Doctor: Let's start with... her face.  
Waylon: Paragon of feminine beauty, what else is there to say? Smile like a hundred watt bulb... That's all I got.  
Doctor: Hair then, and then body and legs, I suppose. Anything you can think of.  
Waylon: *amused sigh* Don't know where you're goin' with this, but whatever. Her hair's... the color of wheat stalks you know? That yellow-y blonde that isn't ugly like on most women. It just fits her complexion and eye color perfectly.  
He seems to be trying to think hard.  
Waylon: Body like a brick house I guess.  
Cue my face erupting into flames.  
Waylon: She ain't a toothpick and you KNOW just lookin' at her... she knows how to kick your ass. She ain't fat, either. She's... she looks, healthy. Strong... mouthwatering.  
He seems to forget who he's talking to.  
Waylon: Legs... god, I want to see 'em. They're... long. God are they long. I know they gotta be as pretty as the rest of her. Never seen them without somethin' on them, seen the shape, not the skin.  
I lean into the wall and fall to the floor slowly.  
Doctor: How does her manner affect you? When she is kind?  
Waylon: Hm. Confuses me. Makes me... kinda hate her, and... kinda not, at the same time. Conflicting thoughts at first, now I just feel bad that I gotta smack her outta my way.  
Doctor: And when she is angry?  
Waylon: Makes ME angry.  
Doctor: Why?  
Waylon: ... I don't really know.  
He sounds contemplative.  
Doctor: Do you like her at all? Or is she simply a confusing nuisance?  
Waylon: ... I really don't want to talk about this.  
The tape ends and I snap in the other without even really pausing to consider the end of the tape.

Waylon: Are you gonna ask about her again?  
Doctor: No. Well... yes. But it is hypothetical.  
Waylon: I can do hypothetical, I think...  
He sounds wary and suspicious.  
Doctor: Imagine for a moment, that you were not Killer Croc.  
I can just hear him lifting an eyebrow.  
Doctor: No really. Imagine you did everything you did up until you got here, and then you met her, not as a villain, but as a person.  
Waylon: Yeah okay.  
Doctor: What if she said she liked you, would you believe her? That she liked you being around, that she wanted to be friends with you?  
Waylon: I'd believe her. She doesn't lie, but it'll never happen like that. She might tell me I ain't evil, might tell me she likes sparring with me... but she sees everyone the same Doc.  
Doctor: ... you think she cannot love... because she cannot hate?  
Waylon: Can't have one without the other. And we ain't talkin' about love. We're talkin' about likin' havin' me around more than most other people. She sees everybody the same. Everybody's fascinating. She don't have a preference.  
The tape ended and my eyebrow was lifted almost to my hairline. I'm pretty sure I was wearing 'the look'.

When the guard saw me and his jaw dropped, I was pretty proud of myself. It was the reaction I was looking for. After all I dressed this way just to get a reaction from him. Not the  
security guard doofus, the other him. I walked past him, Bruce had made arrangements for me to put on the bracelets with guards in the room and then take off the collar after I'd given them the remote for the bracelets.

I stood in front of the doors that led into the room they directed me to and the other guards eyed me as I slammed the door open. I looked irritated. They all just looked surprised. He didn't even look at me, didn't seem to even know it was me, until he inhaled and his head snapped down to look at me, finally. I was tapping my foot and glaring at him, not angry, just annoyed. My brow was twitching. His mouth dropped open. I wanted to grin and crack a joke about catching flies but instead- "Are you gonna give me your damn wrists or what?" His mouth clamped shut and he held them out like he was supplicating. His eyes were wide, and raking over me like a hungry man over his first meal in days. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to blush, I wanted to strut.

I lock them onto his wrists and he seems surprised. "What... they said you were doin' somethin'-... what do I need bracelets for?" I toss the remote to a guard and he catches it clumsily. Then I hold my hand out and they hand me a key. He looks like he's trying to figure it out, he knows what the key is for, but it can't be what he thinks... right? It saddens me to see that look on his face. Disbelieving that someone wants to retain his human dignity.

I unlock the collar and when it comes off I use my power to smush it into a little round ball. I put it in his hand. "Smush it, I know you can. If you really want. You've always been the strongest guy I know." I say it matter-of-factly but the way he stands up straighter makes me happy I did. He knew I meant it.  
"Miss... Ah, whitefire?" I turn to the female doctor with an icy countenance. She flinches. "Wh... why are you dressed like that?" I lift an eyebrow.  
"It's my new outfit." A stiffening beside me had me glancing over to see him going ramrod straight backed and still. "That I'm wearing for fun sometimes." It relaxed. He didn't want anybody else looking at me. That's... god I don't even want to know why THAT makes me happy. "Oh, and by the way, I'm going to be... checking in. Every so often."  
"Of course, we can schedule-"  
"They're going to be surprise visits. If you don't take care of these inmates... I'm going to erase your memory, from birth." She stiffens and drops her clipboard. "and if I see electrical burns on him, untreated, or if I find out you zap him for fun?" I put out my hand, my thumb up, and turn it down, "I'll destroy your life and make sure you remember it. Over and over, along with every other bad memory you've ever had." She's terrified of me. They all back away a little. I turn around and walk toward the door. "Do you know why?"  
"N-no." She meekly answers.  
"Because unlike the other people in this city I don't just like him. He's. My. FAVORITE." Then I looked over my shoulder, my eyes closed and my lips turned up in a heartwarming smile. "Take care of him, or else."

Then I was outside, laughing my ass off at their faces when I walked out, and jumping into the Batcar. I was laughing even while Batman eyed me disapprovingly and then smirked at me. "And you said you'd never use fear." I wiped my eyes and giggled.  
"Yeah, I was wrong. It's useful sometimes. I hated it, but god... their faces!" I laughed all the way home, and he laughed with me.

The first patrol without expecting to see Croc, was hard for me. He wasn't there, so I was uninterested. Stopped a rape with barely any effort or showmanship. The woman had clung to me and sobbed and I had patted her on the head and told her I'd walk her home. She went inside and I walked on, jumping to the rooftops and taking off from there. I came across Robin and didn't notice. He followed me for a while, waiting for me to realize he was there. When it became fifteen minutes later his patience broke. "Whitefire." His tone was annoyed and I stumbled, hitting the ground with a smash and a thump and busting open my lip. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" He helped me up and tried to pull out his ice gun thing that would freeze the blood in one section of a body enough to keep the swelling down. I just sighed and sparked the nerves into repairing the damage to the tissue, you know take down the inflammation. It still bled and hurt, but now it wouldn't swell. "I forgot you could do that." He sighs. "The old man says you're going to Arkham tonight, later. Can I come with you?" I lift an eyebrow. He fidgets. He's already seventeen and yet he acts so young sometimes. Four years older than him and I even act his age more than he does. "I'm... worried." I frown,  
"About what? Is there an inmate you-"  
"About you, god." He sighs. I smile and flinch at the sting. He reaches up to cup my face and looks concerned, then turns bright red and I realize our faces are about two inches apart. I wonder what the hell made him blush, since we've been close to each other before... hell even closer. He sleeps in my bed sometimes, so what the hell?  
"D-... Robin, what's wrong?" I grasp his wrist and tilt my head at him, and I'm completely shocked when he kisses me. I hiss in pain and he leaps to his feet and backs away.  
"God. Fuck. Shit. I forgot. Sorry."  
"Just pinched a little, it's fine. No damage done. But you know-" I sigh, "I kinda think you should get a girlfriend to do this kind of thing with. I'm not really into having a friend with benefits at the moment." I stand up and dust myself off. He sighs.  
"And if I asked you to be my girlfriend?" I blink at my hands, frozen in the act of dusting myself off.  
"Robin. I... you're like... my brother. I'm sorry!" I know that could've put a knife through his heart and when I looked up, I know it did. His face was crumpled and grief-stricken. "I love you, you know. You know I do, right? I mean, I don't think of you as a brother, because you're younger or unworthy or unsexy or anything like that. It's because you understand me, and I understand you, and we bicker like siblings and Bat is like our dad-"  
"I know. I just." He sighs, "I guess I should have made a move before you became my sister, or whatever."  
"No." I say in horror. I would have gone out with him, I would have loved him, and Waylon still would have captured my attention, I could have broken his heart into bits and stomped on them. "Us, together. Bad. For you."  
He snorts, "Because of that monster." I swallow hard and push down the static and the rage.  
"Yes." I whisper.  
"You'd rather him than me." I bite my lip.  
"I would have wondered, even if I were with you, and you would have gotten hurt. But I would have been faithful to you, I would have loved you with all my heart. I just... I can't control this, when I love someone without even thinking about it."  
"... You love him?" His voice is dark and I realize what I said.  
"... yes. I do. I'm sorry, but I do. I just... can't help it."  
"So loving him is natural, and loving me is what? An effort?" I blink in surprise and shake my head.  
"Loving you is the easiest thing ever. I just... I never thought about loving him, because he was... well you know. I thought about compassion and everything. But not... I didn't think I'd ever love him. I didn't think I would never love him either, I just... didn't think about it."  
"Do you mind if I go home, I don't want... to talk about this anymore." He turned and walked off before I could answer and I frowned, turning and heading for Arkham. I was wearing my skintight jumpsuit, and I landed in front of the building with a roll. I opened the pack I was wearing, I never usually wore a pack but, well... I took off my skintight suit and put on the Short shorts and off the shoulder, bare midriff top. It had straps... around my arms.

I stashed the pack in the bushes and put on my cloak. I wrapped it tightly around myself so no one would see what I was wearing and walked confidently inside. The Joker was my first stop, since Waylon had mentioned him before. I looked over his room as he slept peacefully and then hid my presence as I walked in and examined him with my power to see how healthy he was. He seemed to be fine mostly, just a few fading bruises from days earlier... could have been from the Bat... dunno.

I walk into Harley's room sometime later and she's sleeping fitfully. I check her over and her room, and then I leave a small spark in her mind. It's not much, it just pretty much smoothes out her face and makes her sleep more peacefully.

Ivy was awake, and completely calm, but sickly without any plants. I frowned at this and walked away, wondering what could be done. Then I was finally at the gates to the sewers beneath the Asylum. The guards followed me down and I shrugged off my cloak, sighing and rolling my shoulders like I just couldn't be bothered with it any more and stuck it through my belt. It draped over half my leg and didn't really hide anything, but I felt cooler so I sighed happily and wiped the sweat from my forehead. Suddenly I was stopped with a hand. I looked over to see a man looking worried. "No offense ma'am... but I really don't want to protect you if you're just goin' in there to rile 'im up with somethin' he can't have. I really don't want to be on the receivin' end of his frustration."  
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about." What he can't have? What the hell were they talking about? Like he couldn't have me, why? He frowned and shut up as I stepped into the sewers. I heard his voice. Low and thrilling, to himself. It was a song, I didn't recognize it. I realized he was singing in French.

My lips parted and I made a small noise. The guards glanced at me, like they weren't sure if it came from me. I lick my lips and motion them back. "I think I can handle him," I snap my fingers and light them up with spark. They nod, apparently perfectly willing to let me go alone. If that Cash guy were down here with me, he'd probably follow me anyway.

I swallow hard and walk until I get to one of the floating wooden things that make a bridge. I end up hopping to keep from falling into the water. It was definitely sewer water, but... weirdly clean. Must be that doctor's doing. I tried to be silent, because honestly the song was entrancing and trying to hear it was taking most of my attention. The rest was dedicated to hop, skip, jumping until I ended up on an island in the middle of it all. I walk further and find that the whole thing wasn't water, about half of it, in fact.

I hear his song get to the middle, you know how you can always tell it's at the climax? I jump up and grab onto a ledge, jumping to any small out-cropping of concrete or brick or rock I can get to and stopping to look around the corner. My breathe is knocked out of me. He's just lying there, singing. He's lying flat on his back, with his eyes closed, singing to himself, his hands on his chest and stomach, his forefingers just sort of moving in circles over his scales. His lips move to articulate the words more clearly than he's ever spoken before. So wait, he WANTS to sound all hissy and growly when he talks to people? That confused me for a moment but then he starts singing again and I'm kinda caught up in the emotion in his voice. So you see it's HIS fault that I lose my footing and plummet to the ground with a loud WHUMP! I roll backwards so he doesn't see me, as the song stops and walk out into the open, just as he speaks. "Who's- oh."

For some reason I start laughing. "I think... I fell... on... my head!" And I'm pretty sure I did, with how hard I was laughing, as I fell into the wall and tried to spark myself back into sanity. When I finally calmed down and looked up, he was there, kneeling in front of me. I burst back into giggles. I really hoped he wouldn't laugh, but how could he not? I was ridiculous.  
"What did you fall from, and why?" He tapped the wall next to my head. "And why are you laughin' so damn mu-" I look up as I stop laughing again to see his eyes flat and angry. Oh god, what did I do.  
"Sorry, I... I just tend to laugh at myself a lot, when I get embarrassed..." The more embarrassed I am, the more I laugh. "I guess I was too focused on trying to figure out what you were singing." I bang my head softly against my knees, pulled up to my chest with my arms wrapped around them. There was an irritated sigh.  
"You coulda just asked, idiot." I snort.  
"That's so easy." He seemed to be surprised into a snorted laugh, but he stopped and seemed to calm down because then his voice was normal again.  
"Not everything needs to be an adventure, Bitch."  
"Hm. Yeah, I mean you would never do something hard and stupid, right?" He snorted and I cut him off, "I mean it's not like you broke into a building just to talk to me, or anything." The silence was dangerous. "Will you sing something else?" The tense atmosphere lifted.  
"Why would I sing?"  
"Because I like when you sing."

Je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime

I look up, certain I know that melody from somewhere but not sure where, and I'm pretty sure it'd be an english song, so...

Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous  
Remplis mon coeur de joie  
Otez toutes ma tristesse  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

I close my eyes and sigh, sitting more comfortably with a slight smile on my lips. I was only halfway surprised when he sat next to me. I lean on him as he sings.

Pour le soleil du matin dans toute sa splendeur  
Accueillir la journée avec espoir et de réconfort trop  
Vous remplissez ma vie avec le rire  
Et de toute façon vous faire mieux  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites  
Il ya un amour qui est divin  
Et c'est la vôtre et c'est la mienne comme le soleil  
Et à la fin de la journée,  
Nous devrions rendre grâce et prier  
Pour l' un, à l' une

Je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime  
Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous  
Remplis mon coeur de joie  
Otez toutes ma tristesse  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

Il ya un amour qui est divin  
Et c'est la vôtre et c'est la mienne comme le soleil  
Et à la fin de la journée,  
Nous devrions rendre grâce et prier  
Pour l' un, à l' une

Et je vous ai dit dernièrement que Je t'aime  
Je vous ai dit il n'y a pas d'autre dessus de vous  
Vous remplissez mon cœur de joie  
Emporter ma tristesse  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites  
Otez toutes ma tristesse  
Remplir ma vie avec joie  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites  
Otez toutes ma tristesse  
Remplir ma vie avec joie  
Mes soucis que ce que vous faites

His voice was soft when he finished and he mumbled something else in French. "Je pense que Je t'aime." I blinked and looked up at him. He looked weak, like he hadn't eaten in days, how had I not noticed before?  
"Waylon, are you not eating?" He blinked slowly and looked at me like he didn't know who the hell I was.  
"What?"  
"Fuck, are you really that out of it? Wait... did they already use the Tranquilizer on you?" I sit on my knees and pull his head around so I can look at his pupils. They seem a little bigger than usual.  
"You... I only... why did you call me that?" I blink and realize I'd called him by his name, which was a bad move apparently.  
"You're not a Croc, Waylon, and I refuse to call you one anymore." I lean in and spark up my fingertip to get a bit more light, trying to see if his pupils will contract, but they just get bigger and I frown before I notice I'm practically on his lap and he's got his hands hovering in the air, unsure where to put them. It strikes me as the cutest thing I've ever seen and I bite my lip to keep from smiling as I lean back on my haunches and clear my throat. "Waylon, did they dose you?" He blinks slowly,  
"No."  
"Wait." I lift a hand and touch his shoulder, I didn't take note of his skin temperature before, it is definitely not as warm as it should be. His body didn't hold heat but he's not usually cold. "Shit, you're cold."  
"Always cold, down here." I blink and look up at him.  
"They didn't do anything to help you get warm down here?" My anger makes my body begin to spark.  
"Why would they?" The electricity leaves my body in a bolt, hitting the ceiling and fizzling out.

I try to breathe, but his own labored breathing is just making me angry again. So I spark up my skin until it's pink and warm, then I put my hands on his face and spark his skin too. He grunts in discomfort, because of course warmth can burn when you're cold. I sigh as the sparks run over his body and he's suddenly much warmer. I pull my hands away and he's sitting there with his eyes closed. "God, I'm hot." He opens one eye to half-heartedly glare at me. I can't help but chuckle.  
"Well would you rather be cold?" He grunts and crosses his arms, relaxing against the wall. "I'll get you some heat lamps or something." He hummed in affirmation and I bit my lip, looking over at him. He was just so tall usually, and I'm sitting on my knees, so I'm a bit taller, our faces are almost even now. I chew on the inside of my lip and suck it into my mouth, running my teeth over it. He snorts in derision and I realize I spaced out, staring at him.  
"You're always so fuckin' indecisive. Just say it, whatever it is, or ask, or whatever, quit fuckin' worryin' about everythin' all the damn ti-" So I gave him what he wanted and I kissed him.

He stilled, like he was afraid to move. I just sort of sat there, my legs on either side of his and my hands on his chest. His lips seemed to be almost normal, just underbelly scales instead of soft skin. But it's not like they weren't soft. He seemed to go limp, his arms the only things tensed, tightly coiled into each other. My lips only moved a little, but he shuddered and kissed me back. I didn't want to overwhelm him or make him think I just wanted to tease him, so I pulled back and looked at him. He was eyeing me in a tense way.

"What?" I lift an eyebrow at him as he glares at me.  
"What was that for?" He seemed to be annoyed, but not particularly angry. Then I remembered he thought I did everything for everybody else. He thought I did things just to make others feel better, because of course having any kind of desire wouldn't fit with the image he had of me. The innocent angel.  
"Hm." I lick my lips and chew on the inside of my cheek. "You don't like me." I stand up and dust off my knees, his incredulous look amusing me. "That's fine. I don't normally like people this much, it would be stupid to assume the first guy I took an interest in would automatically be into me." I walk away, waving at him as I step toward the watery bridge of wood planks. "Bye."


End file.
